Spin and correlation induced effects in mesoscopic transport and noise [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Fabio Cavaliere

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• Physik

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• Publié par: universitat_hamburg
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 12
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Spinandcorrelationinducedeffects
inmesoscopictransportandnoise
Dissertation
zurErlangungdesDoktorgrades
desFachbereichsPhysik
derUniversita¨tHamburg
vorgelegtvon
FabioCavaliere
ausGenova(Italien)
Hamburg
2005Abstract
In this thesis, we will investigate the role of spin, interactions and orbital de-
grees of freedom in the transport properties of quantum dots and quantum
rings createdin correlatedone-dimensional electron systems. The description
of these systems will employ the Luttinger liquid model for interacting elec-
trons in one dimension. The tunneling will be modeled with the aid of the
Bosonizationtechnique. Thecurrentandnoisewillbeanalyzedinthesequen-
tial tunneling regime using a master equation formalism. Several results will
bediscussed.
We firstly deal with the transport properties of a one-dimensional quan-
tum dot. In the linear regime, a spin-induced even-odd effect in the conduc-
tance peaks position is found for zero-temperature. Increasing the latter, the
peaks positions shift until, in the high temperature regime, a uniform spac-
ingisfound. Thepeakshiftingisaffectedbyinteractionsintheleads. Apower
lawscalingofthelinearconductancepeaks,asafunctionofthetemperature,is
found: inthelowtemperatureregimetheexponentisdeterminedbytheleads
interactionsonly,whileinthehightemperatureregimeinteractionswithinthe
quantum dot lead to its renormalization. In the nonlinear transport regime a
novelnegativedifferentialconductancemechanismwillbediscussed. Wewill
show that this effect is induced by the peculiar non-Fermi-liquid interactions
in the dot and is connected to a dynamical trapping of excited states with a
high totalspinwhich occurswhenthe tunneling barriersareasymmetric. The
influenceofspin-fliprelaxationprocessesandinteractingexternalleadswillbe
studied.
Subsequently, we will study the charge- and angular momentum-resolved
currents noise of a quantum ring. We will concentrate firstly on the zero-
frequency regime and will show that, in an interacting ring, the charge cur-
rent noise can be driven to values exceeding the Poissonian limit in the pres-
ence of asymmetric tunneling barriers. We will show that the origin of super-
Poissonian chargenoise is the inhomogeneity of the dotstatesdwell time. We
will discuss the sensitivity of the noise with respect to leads interactions and
point out the possibility to achievesuper-Poissonianangular currentnoise for
leadswithattractiveinteractions. We willanalyzetheseresultswith theaidof
a Monte Carlo simulation and show that, in the presence of super-Poissonian
charge noise, a bunching of the tunneling events occurs. The angular noise
is insensitive to the bunching phenomenon. Employing an external magnetic
flux piercingthe ring, we will show thataninteracting ringcanexhibittransi-
3Abstract
tionsbetweensub-andsuper-Poissonianregimesforthechargecurrentnoise,
insharpcontrastwiththecaseofanoninteractingring.
4Zusammenfassung
In dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir den Einfluß von Spin, Wechselwirkung und
orbitalen Freiheitsgraden auf die Transporteigenschaften von in korrelierten
eindimensionalenElektronensystemenerzeugtenQuantenpunktenundQuan-
tenringen. Die Beschreibung dieser Systeme erfolgt im Modell der Luttiger-
Flu¨ssigkeitfu¨rwechselwirkendeElektronenineinerDimension. Tunnelprozes-
sewerdenmitHilfederBosonisierungstechnikmodelliert. StromundRauschen
untersuchen wir fu¨r den Fall von sequentiellem Tunneln unter Verwendung
vonMastergleichungen. WirdiskutierenverschiedeneErgebnisse.
Zuna¨chst behandeln wir Transporteigenschaften eines eindimensionalen
Quantenpunktes. Wir finden bei Temperatur T = 0 im linearen Bereicheinen
spininduzierten ”even-odd”-Effektin den Peak-Positionen des Leitwerts. Bei
Temperaturerho¨hungverschiebensichdiePeak-Positionen,bissichimBereich
hoher Temperaturen ein einheitlicher Abstand einstellt. Diese Verschiebung
wird von Wechselwirkungen in denZuleitungen beeinflusst. Wir beobachten,
dassdielinearenLeitwert-PeaksalsFunktionderTemperaturgema¨ßeinesPo-
tenzgesetzes skalieren: Im Bereich niedriger Temperaturen ist der Exponent
alleindurchdieWechselwirkungenindenZuleitungenbestimmt,wa¨hrendim
Bereichhoher TemperaturenWechselwirkungen innerhalb desQuantenpunk-
tesdenExponentenrenormieren.
ImnichtlinearenTransportregimediskutierenwireinenneuartigenMecha-
nismus, derzueinemnegativendiferentiellenLeitwertfu¨hrt. Wirzeigen,dass
dieser Effekt durch die besonderen, nicht mit der Fermiflu¨ssigkeitstheorie im
Einklang stehenden Wechselwirkungen im Quantenpunkt erzeugt wird und
einemdynamischenEinfangenvonangeregtenZusta¨ndenmithohemGesamt-
spin entspricht, das bei asymmetrischen Tunnelbarrieren auftritt. Weiterhin
untersuchenwirdenEinflussvonSpinflip-Relaxationsprozessenundwechsel-
wirkendenexternenZuleitungen.
Desweiteren studieren wir das Rauschen von Ladungs- und drehimpul-
saufgelo¨sten Stro¨men in einem Quantenring. Dabei konzentrieren wir uns
zuna¨chst auf das statische Regime und zeigen, dass in einem wechselwirk-
endemRingmitasymmetrischenTunnelbarrierendasRauschendesLadungs-
stroms die Poissonverteilung u¨berschreitende (”super-Poissonian”) Werte an-
nehmenkann. Ursachedafu¨ristdieinhomogene VerteilungderVerweilzeiten
derQuantenpunktzusta¨nde. WirdiskutierendieEmpfindlichkeitdesRauschens
bezu¨glichderWechselwirkungenindenZuleitungenundzeigendieMo¨glichkeit
auf, mit attraktiven Wechselwirkunden in den Zuleitungen auch die Poisson-
5Zusammenfassung
verteilungu¨berschreitendedrehimpulsaufgelo¨steStro¨mezuerhalten.
Wir analysieren diese Ergebnisse mit einer Monte-Carlo-Simulation und
zeigenfu¨rLadungsrauschenimBereich”super-Poissonian”dasAuftretenvon
gebu¨ndeltenTunnelereignissen. DasRauschenimdrehimpulsaufgelo¨stenStrom
istunabha¨ngingvondiesemBu¨ndelungspha¨nomen. Durchdringteinexterner
¨magnetischer Fluß denwechselwirkenden Ring, ko¨nnen Uberga¨ngezwischen
”sub-”und”super-Poissonian”-Regimesauftreten,inscharfemGegensatzzum
Verhaltenimnicht-wechselwirkendenRing.
6Introduction
Inone ofhismostfamousspeeches[1],RichardPatrickFeynmansaid: ”When
we get to the very, very small world – say circuitsof seven atoms – we have a
lotofnewthingsthatwouldhappenthatrepresentcompletelynewopportuni-
tiesfordesign. Atomsonasmallscalebehavelikenothingonalargescale,for
they satisfythe laws of quantum mechanics [...] We canuse, not just circuits,
but some system involving the quantized energy levels, or the interactions of
quantizedspin[...]”. Inthelasttwentyyears,thetechnologyemployedtofab-
ricatelow-dimensionalelectronicsystemshasimprovedtosuchanextentthat
Feynman’s predictions are becoming reality. The race to miniaturization pro-
vides some astonishing figures: nowadays ordinary personal computer parts
such as CPUs have reached the impressive level of 230 millions of transistors,
2on a dye size of about 200 mm [2]. At the same time, the physics of low-
dimensional geometricallyconfined electronsystems hasachievedimpressive
results. It is nowadays possible to realize semiconducting heterostructures in
which a two-dimensional high-mobility electron gas is created. In these sys-
tems, the discovery of the integer [3] and of the fractional [4] Hall effects has
been made. By employing electrostatically biased metallic gates or chemical
etching, itis possible to shape the 2DEG inorder tocreatenarrowone dimen-
sional channels called quantum wires [5], or even small islands of electrons,
confined in allthe threedimensions, calledquantum dots[6]. Quantum wires
exhibit a strongly nonlinear, step-like current-voltage curve: in these systems
2theconductanceisquantizedinintegermultiplesofe /h. Inquantumdotsthe
effects due to electronic interactions are particularly evident, for instance in
the well-known Coulomb blockade effect[6,7]. Recently, novel methods have
been devised to create one-dimensional electron systems. In channels created
by the cleaved-edge overgrowth technique [8] and in carbon nanotubes [9],
signatures of correlations beyond the Fermi liquid picture have been found.
Veryrecently,singlemoleculeshavebeencontactedtometallicleadscreatinga
quantum dot[10,11]. In allof these systems, the strong interplayof electronic
interactions and the spin degreeof freedomgive rise to a wealth of intriguing
physical effects. Among the theoretical tools devised to analyze these effects,
the analysis of transport properties has clearly emerged as one of the most
powerful. While the investigation of current and conductance has been the
subject of in-depth studies for quite a long time, recently the noise – statisti-
calanalysis of the second moment in the currentfluctuations – hasattracteda
considerableinterest[12,13].
7Introduction
Inthisthesiswewillstudytheinterplayofelectronicinteractions,spin,or-
bital degrees of freedom and geometrical confinement in strongly correlated
one-dimensional systems. We will employ the Luttinger liquid model [14],
which allows to treat accurately electronic interactions in these systems, and
willcalculatethecurrentandtheshotnoiseinthesequentialtunnelingregime
employing a master equation approach. The structure of the thesis is as fol-
lows.
Partone isdividedintotwo chapters. Inthe firstchapter,ashorto